I feel ill after typing these up. These threats are made toward a 16 year old girl because she dared to stand up for her constitutional right to not have the government endorsing a religion. What’s worse, much of the bile is coming from her very own classmates. Not only does this make the threats toward Jessica very real, but it just depresses me. How are teenagers so full of violence and hatred?

Jessica, if you’re reading this – you have our support. We are here for you. You’ve been so brave through this whole ordeal, and you don’t deserve the treatment you’re getting. But know that you have won the battle as well as the war. Because while you’ve gained the respect of thousands and shown yourself to be a smart, humble, brave, and genuine individual, your classmates sit stagnant in their small mindedness. While you will rise to the top, their hatred and ignorance will keep them at the bottom. If they’re not jealous, they should be.

Thank you for making these sacrifices so future students won’t have to.

Are we going to need an “It gets better” campaign for atheists, too? What’s especially aggravating is that this isn’t really an atheism issue but a Constitution issue. It would be really really nice if some religious folks came out and acknowledged that her cause was right and the school was wrong and that they support and defend her. Where are those people?!

All the threats are in direct contradiction with the sprit of the banner they’re angry about being taken down. That’s the part that is the most bizarre to me. They’re effectively saying “Let us keep up our religious banner about love and kindness… or we’ll kill you”

What on earth is happening to the US? The response to this sounds more like what one might expect in Pakistan, rather than the country that would like to consider itself the moral compass of the planet. I’m in Ireland & used to think that we were priest-ridden (unfortunately in multiple ways), but the US has descended into a morass of Perry/Bachman/Palin religion-motivated bigotry and intolerance. This case has unfortunate similarities to the Danish Mohammed cartoons, except the target this time is a 16-year-old kid!

I totally support the idea of an “it gets better” campaign for atheists, but I think we first need evidence that adult atheists get treated better than kids and teens. :(

Jessica, I’m so sorry about what you’re going through. I hope you know that there are tons of us all around the country (and dare I say the world) who are immensely proud of you and support you in all you’ve done here.

It saddens me beyond words that anyone should have to face this sort of hatred, especially for merely doing what is right.

Jessica you have my full support. In a country that is fast descending into a third world theocracy, people like you are vital. You are the reason sane people around the globe retain hope for Americans. Keep up the good work.

I saw Jessica speak at the SSA conference, and she was a real, humble human; I’m glad she’s won her suite. Now, for the threats. These are the attitudes of young people who have been taught they’re very way of life is being threatened. I remember, when I was still a Christian growing up, we were taught that everyone not a Christian was repressing us. It’s a crazy doctrine, but it’s very common among the Protestants in the US. The people making these comments are (mostly) young; it doesn’t make them right, but it doesn’t mean they can never, ever change. In exposing this bigotry, I feel uncomfortable with Jen and others saying these people will always be wrong, will always be close minded. They’re wrong now, and the threats are terrible, but turning this into us-verse-them-forever type conversation doesn’t do anything to create open minded people.

The more I read about cases such as this the more I realize that many Americans seem not to care about their constitution at all. It only seems to matter when they might be able to use it to get their way, but any sort of general principals that one might get from it are unimportant and they certainly do not cover people you do not like.

Dear Jessica: I don’t know you, but I’m proud to know that there are teens out there like you who have the courage of their convictions. I am so sorry that you have to deal with viciousness and ignorance like the examples here. My best wishes to you and your family.

The United States has been off the rails for a long, long time with regards to religion, but half of the country never saw it coming.

Crazy threads woven into American style Jesus Fetishism Christianity have well and truly indoctrinated several generations already.

Now that America’s sense of self and place in the world has been well and truly shaken, people are behaving as people do when threatened: they fall back on whatever panic protocols they’ve been educated with. In the case of people from backgrounds that don’t promote critical thinking, and indoctrinate them with a warped view of their place in the world, their panic protocols are ugly and dangerous.

There’s a species of Christian in the US who is every bit the equal of any stereotype of an Islamic fanatic… believing they are an loyal angel of their God, while simultaneously sectioning their mind and moral compass off, in order to allow justfication for complete empathetic rejection of people designated to be not one of their kind. They will praise God, praise Jesus, and praise “love” with one hand, while holding a gun to the head of anyone their version of dogma says is the enemy, with the other hand.

Their brand of “Christianity” is the same strain that’s been brewing in hayseed, hillbilly ignorance for generations. You’ve heard about it, without recognizing its point of origin, every time you read another story about an upstanding Christian man who espoused brothership and love is arrested for beating his wife and children to death in righteous fury.

These were the warning signs, that many turned away from in horror and pretended were an aberration. Lone madmen… impossible to explain or understand. Sadly, they’re all too explainable.

Now the virus has gone mainstream. From triple-jawed redneck politicians to crowds of angry, insular, farmbelt folk… to scary leaders of movements that outright promote hate and prejudice that will sit across the table on live television from the very people they slander and say that they’re agents of evil with the glazed look of calm madness and complete detachment in their eyes.

I’m a Christian myself, and I don’t see how what Jessica did was wrong. It is within the fabric of this country that nobody should be discriminated against due to their religion, and separation of church and state exists for this reason. Is it a public school? Then one religion should not be touted over any other. The end.

To all those “Christians” who say she is going to hell, or are thinking or planning hateful things, it is not your place to judge this girl. If God has a problem with it, he’ll take it up with her personally, eventually. Turn the other cheek and show some compassion and understanding for a girl who doesn’t want Christianity shoved down her throat any more than you would want an Islamic, Jewish, Hindu (and so on and so forth) prayer displayed in your/your child’s school.

Good thing the banner is down. It’s abundantly clear none of those attacking Ms. Ahlquist had any intentions of following its precepts anyway. The longer these IDjits carry on, the more they shot themselves in the foot – both feet – and show themselves to be delusional into the bargain. A clearer example never existed of why a theocracy in this country would be a disaster beyond imagining.

Jessica, I am so proud of you. Please hang in there. The kids who are writing such awful things are reacting to how their parents have reacted. It’s likely that there are quite a few who think the hate is wrong, but are too afraid to say so out loud, and you can understand why. Many of the kids sending the awful messages will come to understand just how wrong they are for treating you like this. Of those, some will try to bury the memory of this hateful behavior, but a few will use the shame of it to fuel their own campaigns to lessen the effects of toxic religion.

You have done a good thing here. Of course “no good deed goes unpunished” so you have some bad months ahead of you, but eventually you’ll get to college and out into the real world. Your courage and strength will take you far.

Yeah, I think you hit on it. The conservative backlash in America is due to the fact that America’s place in the world has been shaken. Monotheism is about one god, one way of life being correct, and modern Christianity has added the idea that this way of life is under attack, even though it’s not. This has created a backlash against secularism that is unsustainable for the population. America is becoming a land of ‘regional’ nations. You see this in the increased battles among the state legislatures. Without a strong national government, the states will do what they want, and this is why you see such radicalism at the state and local level. Jessica’s case is just another example of this backlash in local politics that has the nasty addition of the fetishisation of the Constitution and ignorance about the founding of America.

Right here is one Christian who thinks Jessica was right and those attacking her are wrong. This 61 year old simply does not understand how so many Christians have missed the most important parts of Christ’s teachings – leave all judgments up to God, treat others how you wish to be treated, and love your neighbors as yourself. And by ‘neighbors’ He meant EVERYONE.

If you really want some horrific comments, you should see the type of things posted by atheists (And by “atheist”, I mean liberal NewAge religious fanatics, since that is actually what they are) under any yahoo article that even mentions the word Catholicism. You see, liberals have an immense amount of seething, blind, monkey-like hatred for Catholics. This is mainly because the liberal NewAge belief system says that their bigotries are righteous and justified and therefore they are heavily encouraged rather than appropriately shunned. Anyway, get over yourselves and just embrace the fact that you are card carrying members of the most fanatical religion on Earth.

Here’s another Christian who is thankful for Jessica and all who have her courage to stand up to ignorant bullies. I have to keep reminding my congregation that we MUST be on the side of separation of church and state else someday the fact that we are supportive, open, and welcoming of a wide range of religious belief and ideas will make us a target, too. I find it morally repugnant and spiritually draining to know that people who profess to believe in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit can still, in this day and age, believe that hatred and violence is an acceptable response to things they fear. My brother, who has lost his faith, calls these folks the Christian Taliban. I’m not so sure anymore that he’s wrong, sadly, and I am, as an ordained female minister in a liberal denomination, just as much a target as he already is.

Dog forbid something should ever happen to this brave girl. With all of these damning comments from clueless bible thumpers, there should be enough evidence to show just how hateful and bigoted they can be. It would be in their best interest at this point that no harm comes to this brave and courageous young girl or it will be a wound to the christian faith that will spill out more atheists.

Jessica, you rock! If you’re reading this article and the comments, know you have support! You’re so brave and you’re loved by people who don’t even know you, and yes, we’re atheists. Wasn’t there a scripture in the bible that said “love thy neighbor”? Well it looks like the above x-tians are not doing much loving….

Wow. Talk about denial. What we said wasn’t so bad because what some of you said before was worse. That’s some ‘logic’ you’ve got there. Threats of violence, abuse and intimidation against a 16 yo girl is reprehensible. From anyone. Least of all people who profess to be ‘christian’. There is no excuse and offering up a limp ‘but you did worse’ defence is despicable. Lastly Atheism is not a religion, to be a religion you have to worship a ‘deity’ or ‘god’. Atheists believe in many things, but a supernatural god is not one of them.

As a person that has encountered a lot of vitriol on my account of lack of a moronic superstition, Jessica inspires the hell out of me.
The hate being directed at her cannot possibly be justified. And this affirms something I have said quite too often: that in religion, oppression refers to the denial of a special status. Stay strong, Jessica.
Kennedy,
Nairobi, Kenya.

Please take heart. Most people in the world do not want to accept the reality that you have embraced. By the act of accepting this for yourself you have shown a greater courage than most. By the act of expressing this openly to the rest of the world you have shown greater courage than most throughout history.

You have chosen a path of reason and real understanding. A path that leads to true adulthood. They have chosen paths of emotion and superstition. Their fears drive them to lash out at anything not encompassed by their narrow universes. While the way people express their fear and non-understanding may not change, bear in mind that it IS fear. They are as children, and allowances must be made. One does not hate a child for being childish, that is their nature until they grow.

Know that you are not alone. There are others who, like you, have openly expressed to the world that they will not submit to those who would keep us blind and immature. We are not many, but by the courage of our convictions we are mighty.

The religious right and their cancerous effect on the minds of young people in the U.S. is even more volatile than I could ever have imagined, sitting up here and watching from the north. It is bloody scary.

They need to give their fucking heads a collective shake. To target this brave young woman in this vitriolic manner is morally unconscionable and disgusting. Shame on you you dumb fucks.

Jessica, if you read this, you are on the side of truth, justice, and freedom. You have my full support. You are a hero. Don’t forget that!

I read through all those comments, and they’ve literally made me slightly nauseous. I thought Christians were supposed to believe in good will towards one’s fellow (hu)man and “love thy neighbor” and all that jazz. And a very good portion of Christians may believe in that. But not these parasites. The only thing they’re proving is that having religious faith does not automatically mean being more compassionate, nor does lack of faith make someone inherently hateful. I wouldn’t dream of stooping to the level of these so-called “Christians” who would rather threaten someone with violence than open their minds just a tiny bit, but I do hope that their hate is not contagious. Even more than that, though, I hope that these ignorant few are just a very vocal minority, and that in spite of their claims that “everybody hates her,” that she has a handful of supportive friends at home who have more faith in her than her enemies have in some God who apparently loves only them. My wish for Jessica is that she remain strong, that she refuse to back down, and that she remember that she is loved and supported by more people than she knows.

Way to go Jessica! There are a lot more free thinkers out there than you may know at this time. Peer pressure is a horrible thing and you are setting a fine example in doing what is right. The school system and those “Christians” should be ashamed. It’s too bad that sooo many children suffer the indoctrinated brainwashing their churches insist on inflicting upon kids before they are old enough to think logically and rationally. It addles their minds and leads them to lash out at anybody who does anything to contradict or point out the illogic of their faith.

Ahh, the lovely caring compassionate Christians are out in force it seems.

They are only doing what their religion teaches them to do. They show the same compassion to a child that their God shows to those who do not ‘adore’ him.

The Christian religion is not unlike the Islamic one in that they both seek world domination for their God and to disavow him in any way is sacrilege and blasphemy. The Christians have mostly secular governments so they are not allowed to kill their detractors anymore, whereas the Muslims usually have the government behind them if they kill ‘infidels.’

The Biblical God and the Judeo-Christian, Islamic religions terrible inventions that should be thoroughly debunked and ridiculed…they are truly evil…and they teach their followers to be the same.

The kind of vicious, mindless hatred being spewed so forcefully from those comments, most especially the *personal threats against a 16-year-old-girl* by people who purportedly believe in a God who promotes love, peace, kindness and understanding, is abhorrent under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Whether or not people claiming to be Atheists have said terrible things against Catholicism on other websites has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with this. At all. End of story. Using that as some sort of “yeah, well, this is peanuts compared to that” excuse is weak, and ultimately only displays the “We’re never wrong” mentality that is the root of what is so broken about this particular brand of “Christianity.”

I abhor hatred spewed against Christians by other religions just as much as hatred spewed by Christians against others.

The point is, this is not a finger-pointing exercise. “They were worse,” and “they did it first” don’t matter here. This kind of hatred and violent outpouring is wrong. Period. There is no condoning it, and no justifying it.

Jessica, you are so brave to face this at such a young age. It is so sad that your classmates would react so poorly to you standing up for something guaranteed you in the constitution. It’s not like this is a groundbreaking, unprecedented case. Hopefully one day these “Christians” will understand the true meaning of Christianity. The two greatest commandments: Love thy God with all your heart and soul and love thy neighbor as thyself. Perhaps they’ve forgotten, but perhaps one day, when the negative attention is focused on them, they will remember. Stay strong dear. We are with you!

It is appalling that immigrants are required to know more about our constitution and how this country came to be than those born and educated in this country. It is shameful that Canadian schools teach more about our constitution and how this country came to be so that its citizens know more than those born and educated in this country. Have any of these religious zealots ever heard of “separation of church and state”? There are states in this formerly “great union” who have omitted science from their curriculum. They teach the bible in their classrooms as the end-all-be-all text explaining how we came to be. It is embarassing. It is frightening. The Church of England (that this country escaped from) has nothing on modern day “christianity”. And, now the right wing repub-corporation-licans are actually supporting a re-write of the bible to remove so-called “liberal” texts and verbiage from it. Brainwashing at it’s finest. Man will be man’s own undoing.

It seems that there should be a law against making such threats online, and if not it is obvious that one is needed, though how much good that would do is questionable. I am impressed by Jessica’s bravery in the face of so much hatred, but it saddens me that this is the world that we live in. I wish I could do more than say I have the greatest respect for her and fervently hope that no harm comes to her or her family. What vile creatures so many of the so-called religious are.

This is not what christian faith is about! I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ and i stand by this brave young lady Jessica 100%. The remarks by so called “defenders of faith” go completely contrary to the faith revealed in the Bible. Even if the constitution did say that the church and state should be united, i as a christian would still oppose such union and so would anyone else who knows anything about the word of God. People that suggest any unity between the state and the church do not understand either of the two. The evil remarks are not a true representation of christian faith but nothing more than a dangerous and mislead traditional religionism. I do not care if there’s a prayer in public schools or “in God we trust” on our money, as a matter of fact i will support their removal and a believer in Christ that follows His Word should not be offended by it at all. May the Lord have mercy on those blind ones claiming that they defend the faith and may He bless and protect this young corageous lady.

Jessica, you have my full support, I’m not from the US but it scares the hell out of me what is going on across the pond, it’s so good to see that there are still people who will stand up for what they believe and what is right.

Hmmm yeah… Legally speaking she has a pretty strong case for assault. which is the threat of violence. And from what I saw on the website there was an incident where evidently her address was leaked onto the web. Just makes me wish I lived up there to give her support somehow.

Why be surprised? This is what “the good book” teaches them – Love me as your god,or I’ll make you burn in hell!!
With all that begatting, smiting, stoning, bigotry, and drowning, who has time for love and compassion?

Regardless of the fact that they are consistently given preferential treatment, Christians feels threatened by anything that chips away at their power base. It must be taken into account that the creation of god was, in the beginning, an attempt to free humans from fear of the unknown by giving a blanket label to the things that caused these fears. Anything so based on the disguising of fear rather than it’s conquest(as rational human beings later chose to do) is doomed to require a constant need to reinforce that created barrier, behind which their fear is still as great as it ever was. To be understood, they must be seen as what they are, frightened children. A frightened child will not react with reason, but lash out against that which threatens to “open the closet door and let the monster out.” The need is to educate these children so they can see that the “monster in the closet” is, in fact, nonexistent in today’s world because we can now explain the things which were unknown when the god defense was created. To paraphrase their own text, Forgive them friends, for they know not what they do.

I hope she has protection from these vile people. I think she is a hero. I once thought I was Christian but I find I have a much higher moral character since I woke up. The sinister minds that are threatening Jessica just drive it home for me.

We all have the right to stand up for what we believe, and no one has the right to make you step down and ignore your own feelings for the sake of theirs. Just try to keep in mind, as in ANY group, there will always be idiots and worthless losers. I know Christians who would be horrified by all of this. I’m a Pagan myself, but even my Christian Boyfriend accepts how I feel and does not make me feel like less for it. Also Hun, keep in mind, Teenagers can be very, very cruel. A lot of them haven’t had enough experiences in life yet to be able to empathize with your point and view yet(and some will never mature that far). Do what YOU feel is right, in the end the only person you have to answer for is yourself. If that doesn’t help, just pray that the fleas of a thousand camels infest their crotches. Always makes me feel better when someone is being cruel to my 13 yr old Daughter.

Well said. I am also a. Christian who believes strongly in the separation of Church and State. This young woman did nothing wrong and I’m appalled at the responses and threats she’s receiving. The people responding this way should probably be examining their own lives and if they embody Christ’s teachings rather than attacking a 16 year old who is just exercising her constitutional rights.

To this other Jessica, I’m so sorry these people are attacking and threatening you. You did nothing wrong. You stood up for your constitutional rights (and mine) and I want to thank you for it. Peace

I’m so proud of you for standing up for what is right. The backlash is awful, but you are obviously a strong, intelligent young woman with a great support system, and you will make it. Focus on graduation, and getting the hell out of town! That’s what I did when I was in high school, and it kept me from going nuts when the hicks got me down. I wish I’d been half a brave as you to speak up and change what was wrong with the system. We’re all rooting for you. You’re going to go out into the world and continue to make it better. You go, girl!

Those are the kind of ass-hats who give Christianity a bad name. Jesus Christ would have wanted nothing to do with that kind of person. The values they vomit out have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity – they’re TERRORIST values! They certainly believe in no God *I* believe in.

So, maybe a good Christian lesson is in order. All those wee stones there, all those hateful remarks and threats of violence, copy, take them to the police, get the IP’s and find out who posted them (I get a feeling most won’t need a good IP hunt, they probably signed the damn things). Then, restraining orders, harassment charges, and criminal charges for the worst case scenarios. Lets see how many of those doting, loving children of the greater god can get into a college when they have to explain on their application why they were charged with harassment of a sixteen year old girl.
She stood up for what is right by the law, and now it is the law’s turn to stand up for what is right for her.

I would like to thank the Christians who came here and defended Jessica. She is certainly in need of support for what she is going through.

Anyone who writes comments such as those addressed to her is despicable. Period.

However, it is not merely a Christian, or other religious based response. From my reading, without context, it would be difficult to differentiate the attacks on Jessica from the attacks on women atheist bloggers from last year.

It doesn’t matter if they are MRAs, or Christians, or ultra-femninists, or Muslims, or atheists, or whatever. We need to blame them because they are fucking despicable people.

What is the connection? It appears to be people of privledge having that status challenged in such a way that their positioin is indefensible. In their minds, the only recourse is to lash out.

Jessica, Thank you for being a good citizen and standing up for your rights. I am so sad that your classmates, and so many people in this country, are so filled with hate. I fear for you and want to protect you. You have my love and support.

So don’t sound off about them. But leave a post supporting HER and her strength of character and will. She’s an inspiration of what a kid can DO if she sticks to her guns. She was in the right and the school was wrong.

There are other Jessicas there, too – there’s Bunny Lake who’s trying to work up the courage to do something about her teacher (in a public college of technology) who imposes an occasional Christian prayer session on the class.

The It Gets Better campaign doesn’t say that once you reach a certain age you no longer encounter discrimination. The point is that you may have a chance to get out of your tiny little teen existence into the broader world where you encounter other people who are like you or more accepting of you, and you grow into self-confidence to deal with the assholes that would keep you down. It can work the same way with any minority group.

I think that *we* are the It Gets Better campaign. Every one of us who speaks up when an injustice is done in the name of religion, every blogger, every person who writes a letter to the editor, every person who comes out to their friends and family as being an atheist. Those of us who support the right to be an atheist, a supporter of those who choose not to believe, and those who support keeping church and state separate – every time we raise our voices we are showing other atheists and non-believers that it’s going to be alright, that there are others out here who think the way they do, and that together we can make this country a more inclusive, secular place to be.

As a Christian I am appalled that some many people claiming to be followers of Christ would verbally attack and threaten this young girl. Under the constitution there is a separation of church and state, she had (and will always have) the right to remove that banner from her school. There are far too many people who use Jesus Christ as their reason to spread their own hatred and attack others. As many others have said before, the God that I know is about forgiving others and showing his love to the world. Jessica, I am so sorry for your suffering at the hands of these cruel people. You are a courageous young girl, know that your have support, even though we may have very different beliefs.

Jessica Ahlquist just might be the most courageous young woman of the decade. She deserves our support for doing something we should all do every single day: insist on the Constitution being applied evenly to all. It shouldn’t take an act of courage to do so, however in the face of the Constitution being co-opted by the Christian right, unfortunately, it’s necessary.

Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind – even if your voice shakes.
– Maggie Kuhn

The title to this rediculous report is above all wrong. Its not just “so called” christians saying these things, its reg ppl too. and im glad she is getting commented on and harrassed. shes a child that knows nothing about waht rights are. she dont even know who SHE is yet. and for adults to think shes right…. you are pathetic. the true christians are not sending ugly threats or comments, they are praying for her and the mess she caused and all in all GOD will deal with her, not our problem to solve.

Oh Jessica, I am so very sorry that you are suffering such abuse for doing the right thing. I’m a church-goer and long-time teacher, and I completely support you. Thank you for protecting the rights of every student in your school. You are an inspiration! Stay strong, dear girl.

Melissa, you call her a “child” yet you are glad she is getting harassed? And then you say that “true” Christians are not threatening her, even though you are obviously glad that “fake” Christians are?

So are you a “true” Christian, if you are happy about this? And with the endorsement of what you deem to be entirely acceptable “child” harassment, are you a parent yourself?

Way to prove everyone’s point about how vicious religion can make people. You are disgusting, the hate campaign that you promote is disgusting, and Jessica Alquist is a far more intelligent and reasonable person than you could ever aspire to be. I wonder if you actually ever sit and critically examine what you think and what you are saying, and why.

Bunch of complainers, all this political correctness is a bunch of crap. If you dont like something get over it, dont make a huge deal about it like this. This is ridiculous. Just some winy little girl looking for some attention.

For the record I am not Christian but still don’t see this as being right. So good luck with “christians are spreading the hate”

If you dont like something get over it, dont make a huge deal about it like this.

Yeah, if we think about the right way, you may have a point. I mean, all disenfranchised groups got their rights by just setting on their asses and waiting for them to be just handed over. Yup, blacks just “got over” wanting civil rights, women just “got over” the desire to vote, GLBT folks just “got over” the right to get married, and it all worked out, right? If Jessica wanted her public school to actually abide by the First Amendment, she should have just “gotten over it” too, right?

…man, how are you able to breathe with your head shoved that far up your own ass?

arty has probably never had to fight for anything, he (or she) has most likely had every right and privilege just handed to him (her).
He (She) will change his (her) mind as soon as someone infringes on his (her) rights.
Suddenly, stepping up and speaking out will be the only right thing to do. And maybe, just maybe, someday he’ll (she’ll) even mature a little and understand that while standing up for your own rights is important, standing up for others is actually admirable.

@Travis #22: There are a lot of people who thump the Constitution (often the ones who crow about originalism and the Founding Fathers) but haven’t actually read it, and don’t understand how it works (particularly the role of the courts in interpreting it, and the role of court decisions as an outgrowth of the living document). It’s rather similar to the Bible, in that regard.

There has to be a line as to standing up for what you believe in and just plain stupidity. Fighting for a banner is just plain stupid.

Fighting for the banner is stupid, but you “fully agree with the threats” issued by those fighting for the banner?

I think the stupidity is apparent to all, Arty.

To all the Christians who have spoken up in this thread in support of Jessica and against the violent and hateful comments spewed by others, thank you. We often wonder where the moderates and liberals are when this kind of vileness is on display, and it’s nice to see that they do exist.

That being said, I hope you’re all dropping by Ms. Ahlquist’s Twitter feed or Facebook page or otherwise contacting her to register your support. There’s certainly a chance that she’ll read this thread and see your supportive comments, but the haters are taking it directly to the source. It’s only fair that the supporters–especially the supporters who decry the words and actions of their fellow Christians in this debacle, who want to demonstrate that there are Christians who believe in the principles on which the United States was founded–do the same.

So some random kid gives a big f*** you to her school city community families tradition and religions and her ass gets slapped for it. Suck it up and deal. She knew what she was getting in to and if she isn’t spending the same time and effort to replace the banner literally or figuratively in that community then she’s just as bad. I’m born an American and if I want to drop to my knees in a court house public school post office and worship my boyfriend’s dick a tree or a dude with a white beard on a cloud, I have the right to do it and if I do it I’ll take what I get like a man and deal.

The responses of the subhumans supporting the unconstitutional endorsement of the Christian/Catholic religion in a state-run institution are the very reason I had to leave behind any thoughts of engaging in organized religion. They are NOT Christian. They lie to themselves and others, and only hope for earthly recognition and aggrandization, not salvation. As I see it, Ms. Ahlquist’s moral compass is more to right than anyone speaking against her. And, speaking in a historic perspective, they had better recognize that any illegal and/or immoral action they take against her will result in much, much more than just legal consequences.

Jessica-As a Christian, I can only hope that these classmates of yours go back to Christ and stop attacking you with threats. You were right to stand up for yourself and have the outright display of Christianity in a public school removed. If you read this, I wish you the best of luck and I want you to stay firm in your convictions. No one should force any religion upon another. I wish I could say the real world post-high school will be better, but I won’t make any promises. I will work to do what I can to make the world a better place for atheists and all non-Christians.

I’m born an American and if I want to drop to my knees in a court house public school post office and worship my boyfriend’s dick a tree or a dude with a white beard on a cloud, I have the right to do it and if I do it I’ll take what I get like a man and deal.

Yes, absolutely! You have that right, and no one’s taking it away from you (although if it were disruptive to the classroom environment or court proceedings, you might be removed or asked to do it elsewhere).

What you absolutely do not have the right to do is, acting as an agent of the government, require other people to pray in a public place or show preferential treatment for one religion over another, or religion over non-religion. This is what the school was doing with that banner. They did not have the right to do it. It was illegal. It was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of that nation you were born in. And Jessica was right to stand up and fight it.

I’m glad that real men, born in this country and others, decided to “take it like a man” and fight for their ideals to establish this country–and its separation of church and state. Had your attitude of “suck it up and deal” prevailed in 1776, we’d all still be British citizens.

Yup. The honest truth is that the reaction really shows why this sort of thing is truly necessary, I think. It’s the privilege and the need for social/cultural domination that needs to be fought tooth and nail. It means that signs like this are NOT intended to be harmless, positive messages. They’re intended to be exclusive and divisive.

She has my support too. Though I don’t know what one more name does, nevertheless, better than one less name. I can post about this in the forum (see link in my name) I go to, to spread the word a bit more, but that’s really it. Hopefully all this is being preserved in case the law has to get involved.

God damn, those people are tools. Beyond that, I really have no idea what to say except to salute that brave girl.

This girl is CUTE !! she is all aces in my book. and I believe she should take her newfound fame and put it to use by posing for playboy as soon as she is eighteen. I mean what will it really hurt? no religion equals no bad in the eyes of a god or higher power. so make some money with that sweet lil non spiritual maney maker you girls have. get some money sweetfeet!! you are cute and should consider a life in porn.. many in america. and many athiests LOVE porn too.. so please.. consider it.

“It would be really really nice if some religious folks came out and acknowledged that her cause was right and the school was wrong and that they support and defend her. Where are those people?!”

I’m one of those “religious” folks, and I’m right here. Her cause is right and the school was wrong, and the people terrorizing her are hateful and evil and they make me sick to my stomach.

Jessica; I support you and your actions, applaud your courage, and am heartsick at how you and others who fight for our country’s separation of church and state are mistreated. I wish you comfort, healing, strength, and all good things.

I call shenanigans. ‘Daniel (Atheist)’ is no atheist and is a fairly poor impression of a strawatheist. I’m guessing he is a Christian and that he is bearing false witness in defiance of his own religion.

What data exists on the purchase of pornography broken down by US States suggests that there is an inverse correlation between the religiosity of a state, and the sale of porn. For some reason Utah tops the list of consumers of porn.

Those idiots seem to read their scriptures selectively. Didn’t Jesus say, “Love thy neighbor” and “Love thy enemy?” In the Parable of the Sower, he said that not all people would be receptive to his message.

I’m Jewish, I’ll believe in the Messiah when the Resurrection comes. Until then, well…

the christian nonResponse is typical. same kinda crap they pull when their priests, leaders, or others molest or commit other bs. when an atheist commits a crime and i read it on a post, i’ll commentary. he prolly committed the crime NOT because he’s an atheist, but for some other reason. when a priest sodomizes a child(ren), he prolly got into priesthood so that he can. the silent pope/bishop is complicit.

I’m so sorry to read that people are treating a girl like this. If someone were to do that to my daughter, I would be furious! I am glad that she was strong enough to stand up for what she believes and that she won the fight in court. I hope that she realizes that although there are many people who are treating her poorly, that there are also many who respect her.

Agreed Anon. I am in disagreement with Ms. Ahlquist, in that I don’t understand she can be offended by someone else’s statement of faith. I would not be offended by Jen’s or Ms. Ahlquist’s statement of their faith that there is not god (and yes, I believe Atheism is a form of religion). I get annoyed by someone telling me, “Jeffrey, you will burn in hell for being…..”. The funny thing is, the only place that ever happened to me was in Los Angeles. In Oklahoma, nothing of the sort from the residents. All of that is way of preface to my hypothesis than anyone of any religion or lack thereof, who threatens someone who doesn’t believe as they do, is minorly evil, on the way to being sub-human, and doesn’t quite understand the faith they profess or the country that allows the freedom of and from worship.

I see this as an abuse of the court system in America. The courts have also overstepped their boundaries in deciding on religion. Frankly, the US constitution says that Congress may pass no laws on religion. It says nothing about the rights of the people, regardless if they work for the government, to practice their religion. Therefore, this should not be against the constitution.

On the other hand, if they interpret it to be against they constitution by expanding on it, than they themselves have no power to decide the case. The courts are a part of the 3 arms of government, therefore having no rights to decide on religious matters. Either way, the courts have either misinterpreted the constitution or have overstepped their own bounds and are violating the constitution.

I believe that the both the liberals and conservatives are abusing the legal system to try and shove their beliefs down the throats of other people. As an agnostic, I am amused by the atheist who criticize the religious for trying to “force” their beliefs on them via a banner. How is using the legal system to suppress the beliefs of other people in lieu of your own belief system any different? Forcing atheism down the throats of other via the legal system is, in my opinion, far worse than a banner which sits there passively. You have actively gone out of your way to assault the rights of somebody to practice their religion. The lack of tolerance on the part of atheists is absolutely amusing.

Last but not least, I believe that this power should belong to the people. The people should decide through votes at the school board, not in the courtrooms or in Congress. This power does not belong to the government. It should belong to the people in that community. We do believe in democratic system, right?

Jeffrey: It’s not about offensiveness. It’s about government endorsement of religion. It’s about a community openly flouting the law and flagrantly defying the Constitution. The banner was an illegal endorsement of religion. What’s “offensive” is that an institution of learning would be so ignorant of the most basic laws of the nation.

(Taking bets on how long until someone demands it be taken down as a violation of the First Amendment. Or, alternatively, until someone splashes paint over it. Maybe Jessica should just have spray-painted the banner instead of going the legal route? /sarcasm/)

1. “It says nothing about the rights of the people, regardless if they work for the government, to practice their religion. Therefore, this should not be against the constitution.”

The First Amendment specifically prohibits Congress from passing any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The Fourteenth Amendment extends that prohibition to the States. Court decisions throughout history (including perhaps most relevantly in Abington School District v. Schempp) that this entails government neutrality on religion, showing no preferential treatment for one religion over another, or for religion over nonreligion.

This court case had absolutely nothing to do with individuals practicing their religion. Teachers and staff at Cranston can still pray, still wear Crucifix necklaces or Stars of David, can still meet with students for FEA meetings, and so forth. What they, and what the school as an agent of the government, cannot do is, in their capacity as government agents, endorse religion. That is clearly and obviously a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

2. “On the other hand, if they interpret it to be against they constitution by expanding on it, than they themselves have no power to decide the case. The courts are a part of the 3 arms of government, therefore having no rights to decide on religious matters.”

This is not a “religious matter.” This is a matter of Constitutional Law. The court is the branch of the US Government tasked with interpreting the law and the Constitution. That is its entire job.

3. “Either way, the courts have either misinterpreted the constitution or have overstepped their own bounds and are violating the constitution.”

This is ridiculous, and your understanding of how the American government is set up wouldn’t pass an 8th Grade Civics test.

4. “Forcing atheism down the throats of other via the legal system is, in my opinion, far worse than a banner which sits there passively.”

There is no forcing of atheism anywhere here. There is a forcing of secularism, which is the official stance of the United States government on any matters of religion.

6. “Last but not least, I believe that this power should belong to the people. The people should decide through votes at the school board, not in the courtrooms or in Congress.”

Ignorant people like you are precisely the reason that the “people” have delegated this task to the Court system, to people who actually have knowledge of the Constitution and the history of relevant case law.

7. “This power does not belong to the government. It should belong to the people in that community. We do believe in democratic system, right?”

No, we believe in a democratic republic, where communities of varying sizes elect representatives to promote their interests. For instance, you said above that “the people should decide through votes at the school board.” The school board is an example of representative government, where the people of a school district elect representatives from the district to represent their wishes and make decisions about education on behalf of the entire district.

In essence, you have said that you don’t think the power should belong to the government; instead, it should belong to the government.

If this is the sort of knowledge that people are leaving high school with, then perhaps the schools should spend more time, money, and energy teaching Civics and less time fighting to display unconstitutional religious endorsements.

When “someone else” is a private citizen, their statement of faith is perfectly fine. When “someone else” is an agency, of a government that is intended to represent the people – ALL of them – that it serves, and in particular which has coercive authority over a captive audience, it’s a problem.

1) Displaying a goddamned* prayer banner in a public school is unconstitutional.

2) Any adult who defends a goddamned* prayer banner being displayed in a public school should lose their right to vote because they are constitutionally illiterate imbeciles.

3) This is not about a goddamned* prayer banner anymore than burning the flag is about the goddamned* flag. It’s about the Constitution of the United States of America.

4) The parents of any minors who’ve directed threats at Jessica, her friends and family, should be charged with encouraging violence. It’s their, and their goddamned* churches’ family fucking values that are to blame here. Any adults that have threatened Jessica, her friends and family, should be indicted for inciting violence. Maybe on conspiracy charges as well, they came up with the hateful ideas in weekly group meetings, sometimes known as worship services.

5) Just because the goddamned* prayer banner hung in the school for over 30 years without being challenged doesn’t mean it’s grandfathered in.

6) I’m fucking sick and tired of some goddamned* members of the Christian religious right thinking they hold a monopoly on the truth, and that their morality should be legally enforced. They’re worse than the Taliban.

7) I’m seriously fucking pissed about this. I rarely use profanity. I save it for goddamned* assholes that deserve it.

Hey everyone, I am a Christian and as a Christian I want to apologize for all the threats and seemingly hatred toward Jessica. In the Bible, Jesus talked about Love and showing love toward everyone our neighbors, friends and our enemies. The way everyone in those postings and others I’m sure is certainly not in the spirit of love. I will be going now but I just wanted to post that. Have a great day.

Tom – thanks, I should have seen that! It’s depressing how many people in the comments are saying she deserves no support – I think they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager, and have no idea what it would be like to be a teenager getting threats of violence from all over the internet.

While your use of ‘cretin’ might be frowned on, it is interesting that the etymology of the word is (according to the OED):
‘< French crétin (in Encycl. 1754), < Swiss patois crestin , creitin < Latin Christiānum'

It’s nice to read some Christians showing up to say they support this.

As with most things, it’d be nice if people would read some history. The concept of a separation of church and state in this country was pushed by an alliance of free thinkers and secularists (like Thomas Jefferson, who wrote Virginia’s religious freedom statute) and the then-smaller protestant denominations from which many of our modern Baptists and Methodists descend. In the early U.S. several states had established churches and the Baptists didn’t much care for subsidizing the Anglicans with their tax dollars and they feared having their ability to practice their religion as they saw fit taken away.

If we allowed religion officially in the government again, Christian denominations would commence to squabbling over whose version of the Ten Commandments went up on the wall and such. Then, we’d get to hear two different bunches of people yelling threats in Jesus’ name.

If you honestly believe that this young woman deserves to be tortured horribly for all eternity by the most loving being in the universe, why would a few threats of getting slapped around bother you at all?

If you really truly do believe in hell, why would threatened assault even register?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but according to your perfect book, this girl rightfully deserves the worst fate possible, just for the repulsive crime of being human, yes? Once you’ve accepted that, why be bothered by the fact that people are threatening to bash her head in? Maybe it’s just god kicking things off a little early for her. What’s a few decades compared to eternity?

In other words, why would you condemn the posters as being cruel and horrible representatives of your faith, when the perfect object of your faith plans vastly worse for this person, for far longer, and without respite?
Hurting people isn’t bad – it can’t be – your god does it all the time.
…right?

It’s not the inappropriate sexual comments that make it obvious he’s a poseur, it’s the stilted, self-conscious lampshade hanging about how supposedly there’s no right and wrong, which is additionally an extreme minority view among atheists if not an outright dead unicorn – and wouldn’t need that much attention called to it if it wasn’t.

wow… tempted to actually begin believing in god in the hope that it wont let me have to cross swords with the majority of you lot. so much petty flatulence. and i hope this message makes those with a semicolon wedged up their arse really squirm :)

Of course. The most fanatical religion in the world. Please check all that apply to atheism:
*Children go on missions across the world to evangelize belief
*Hordes of European warriors flooded across the ocean to crusade on its behalf in the 1200s
*Zealots in the early 21st century strap bombs to themselves in suicide missions

…the list goes on.

The mark of a true atheist is that he simply doesn’t care what you believe as long as you leave him alone.

Jessica, great job. I hope you realize that the backlash you’ve experienced shows exactly how shallow these beliefs run.

It helps me sleep at night to realize that in my experience, people that make a huge deal about something usually know they’re wrong (e.g. Ted Haggard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Haggard). Maybe that will comfort you as well.

You’re an ignorant idiot, David. Atheism has nothing whatever to do with “New Age” woo-woo. Nor are atheists necessarily liberals: some are, some aren’t, because not believing in your silly fairy tales does not imply anything much about the role of government, the virtues of different economic systems, or the best way to tackle crime.

Our Heavenly Father
Grant us each day the desire to do
our best
To grow mentally and morally as
well as physically
To be kind and helpful to our
classmates and teachers
To be honest with ourselves as well
as with others
Help us to be good sports and smile
when we lose as well as when we win
Teach us the value of true
friendship
Help us always to conduct ourselves
so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West
Amen

How is that so offensive? Other than the words “heavenly father” and “amen” there’s nothing religious about it. If you take that out it’s simply a list of moral guidelines for the students to emulate. Ironically, some of the students that supported the banner disgustingly contradicted the message on the banner with their hateful threats. But the fact remains, all the school did was hang up a banner. They weren’t starting an inquisition to fish out the athiests and burn them at the stake.

One of America’s most cherished documents begins with the words,
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another,and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…”

Should we take the Declaration of Independence out of schools because it mentions god?

There are extremists on both sides of the spectrum. Athiests who are too easily offended by the mention of god, and religious nuts who want to send anyone who dosen’t agree with them to hell. I say, “Shame on you all! Christians and athiests alike”.

I am a Christian leader and educator, and although I will have an opposite worldview from you and most of your readers, I just want to say, I, along with you, Ms. McCreight, “feel ill” (extremely ill) after reading these horrific comments. I am so grieved. To be honest, I am offended more at these responses than the ruling!
I have to point out the greatest irony of all this; which is that these malicious posts of students objecting to having the prayer removed demonstrate that the prayer itself, which called on the “Heavenly Father” to help them “grow morally [and] be kind to our classmates,” seems to have meant nothing to them; having little to no effect in their lives. What, really, are they fighting for? Did they ever really pray it, or just once meditate through it? What’s the point in fighting for something that is obviously quite meaningless to you?
I just want you to know how far afield such hate-speech falls from our core beliefs which call on us to be “speaking the truth in love.” In short, while these young people may feel justified in standing for their beliefs, part of those very beliefs demands that they do so “in love.” Your sarcastic post is aptly titled; we deserved that.
I apologize on behalf of these youth, and the church. This is an outpouring that demonstrates my failure as a Christian educator to teach my students that how they speak truth is just as important as that they speak truth. I want to thank you for this post. It has alerted me to a serious educational void in the church. I have begun addressing it by posting this blog which I invite you to read. I know you will not agree with me, but if you read this, you will see some biblical instruction directed especially toward Christian youth that, if heeded, will keep this from ever happening again. http://liftyourvoice1.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/speaking-truth-in-love-a-call-to-christian-humility-and-civility/

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Joshua, the school was offered as a compromse to replace the explicitly religious words with a secular version and they refused, hence the court case. It is not about getting offended, though many xians of the kind Jessica is having to put up with do offend me, but it is about your constitution. Or do you only believe in following the Constitution when it pleases you. I find it ironic, as well as rather pitiful, that so many ‘furriners’ appear to know the US Constitution better than so many USians obviously do.

By the way, that is a really fine example of morality being displayed by those xians at her school and town, don’t you think. What were you quoting from Washington again, as it obviously can’t be true going by the reactions of thoe ‘good’ Cranston xians. If I were you Joshua, I would stop digging as you’re only getting in deeper.

The very sad thing is that Christians will later come out stating that the reason for violence in schools is that religion has been completely removed from the public sector.

Forget the fact that people are abusing a young girl based on that exact religious teaching, no matter how misguided you can claim they are, the simple fact remains that in asking to remove a banner she is now a target for religious extremists.